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A Message from Pope John Paul II

"To be actively pro-life is to contribute to the renewal of society through the promotion of the common good. It is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they develop." ~ Pope John Paul II, The Gospel of Life, n.101

Everything is grace, everything is the direct effect of our Father's love.Everything is grace because everything is God's gift.Whatever be the character of life or its unexpected events -- to the heart that loves, all is well.

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Amazing Catechists and Catholic Mom Puppet Show Ministry

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"I enjoy your blog every day. It is the best Catholic blog out there. Thank you so much for all the work you put into it!"
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"I love the zeal Jean puts into her posts, especially when it comes to the prolife movement." Esther, A Catholic Mom in Hawaii.

"Jean of Catholic Fire...provides so much informative content. She posts about pro-life issues and events, what happened 'on this day', biographies of saints, prayer intentions, and lots more each day. No matter what she's posting about, I can always come away each day feeling uplifted...and that's saying a lot for me, as I'm someone who often tries to avoid thinking about some of the political and other issues that she posts about. It must be her strong faith and trust in God, as well as her love, shining through her posts, that inspire me." Margaret Mary Myers , Reflections, Catholic BVI Readers, VIP Homeschooler.

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Thursday, February 09, 2006

"God whispers in our pleasures but shouts in our pains. Pain is His megaphone to rouse a dulled world." ~ C.S. Lewis

When Suffering Is Sweet"It has come to this, that I can no longer suffer because all suffering is sweet. Besides, it is a mistake to worry as to what trouble may be in store; it is like meddling with God's work. We who run in the way of love must never allow ourselves to be disturbed by anything.If I did not simply suffer from one moment to another, it would be impossible for me to be patient; but I look only at the present moment forget the past; and I take good care not to forestall the future. When we yield to discouragement or despair it is usually because we give too much thought to the past and to the future."~ St. Therese of Lisieux"Thus to share in the sufferings of Christ is, at the same time, to suffer for the kingdom of God. In the eyes of the just God, before his judgement,Those who share in the sufferings of Christ become worthy of this kingdom."~Salvifici Doloris- On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering-Pope John Paul II-1984 "And Christ, through His own salvific suffering, is very much present in every human suffering, and can act from within that suffering by the powers of His Spirit of truth, His consoling spirit."~Salvifici Doloris- On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering- Pope John Paul II-1984

"Pray for me; often when I cry to heaven for help it is when I feel most abandoned. But when I turn to God and his saints and thank them notwithstanding I believe they want to see how far I shall trust them. But the words of Job have not entered my heart in vain: "Even if God should kill me, I would still trust him." ~ Job13: 15

"Praying together with the one who suffers is the just response to the suffering. The cruelest response to suffering is the attempt to explain it away, to tell the one who suffers: "This is why this is happening. I'm sorry that you can't see the answer, but it's clear to me."~ Msgr. Lorenzo Albacette

"If we could read the secret history of our enemies,we would find in each person’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility."~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Since we are [Christ’s] body, we too are the bread that is broken for others. Our failures help heal other lives; our very tears help wipe away tears; our being hated helps those we love.~ Peter Kreeft, Making Sense Out of Suffering

How you approach the problem of suffering depends on how you approach life itself. There are only two ways. Either meaning is surrounded by matter, or matter is surrounded by meaning.~ Peter Kreeft, Making Sense Out of Suffering

Suffering is not blessed because it is suffering but because it is [Christ’s]. Suffering is not the context that explains the cross; the cross is the context that explains suffering.~ Peter Kreeft, Making Sense Out of Suffering

True love, unlike popular sentimental substitutes, is willing to suffer. Love is not “luv.” Love is the cross. Our problem at first, the sheer problem of suffering, was a cross without Christ. We must never fall into the opposite and equal trap of a Christ without a cross.~ Peter Kreeft, Making Sense Out of Suffering

The more you try to avoid suffering…The truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering the more you suffer because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you in proportion to your fear of being hurt.— Thomas Merton

"I admit it has taken a long time to arrive at this degree of self-abandonment; but I have reached it now, and it is the Lord himself who has brought me here."~ St. Therese of Lisieux

"[S]uffering, especially during the last moments of life, has a special place in God’s saving plan; it is in fact a sharing in Christ’s passion and a union with the redeeming sacrifice which he offered in obedience to the Father’s will."~Declaration on Euthanasia- Rome 1980